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'Mustafina's scores were about right' - Valery Starkin



Head of the Burtasy School of Gymnastics, Valery Starkin (father to Sergei Starkin, who coaches Aliya Mustafina and Denis Ablyazin) has spoken to Penza Pravda about Aliya's bronze medal performance in the AA.  Sergei has trained many Olympic athletes, including rhythmic group members Natalia Lavrova and Olesya Belugina.

'The result can be considered good, if not excellent.  We knew that Aliya would be able to compete for silver or bronze, and that the gold would only be obtained if the leader, Simone Biles, made a mistake. ...

Aliya managed to hold onto her third position despite fierce competition from a Chinese gymnast; her experience helped her a lot.

The marking was proper.  Aliya missed some connections, acrobatic elements and so the complexity of the D score was reduced.  For example on the beam it was 5.3, and also in the floor, despite the fact that usually Aliya scores better there.  If you add back in the difference, she could easily have become the silver medalist.  ... Aliya earned her bronze, she put up with a lot for it, and worked hard for it.'

Now Aliya has another final, in the specialist events, and there she might feel able to medal again.

Comments

  1. Starkin's pulling a straw man here. The controversy really isn't about Aliya's scores, it's about Shang's weirdly underscored beam. If Musty had done her TF beam no one would be questioning this even with Shang's underscore, but sadly that's not what happened. I mean, I'm not going to lie to myself just because I like Aliya more.

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    1. And if Aliya had been credited for her triple y on floor as I strongly think she should have been, her difficulty would have gone up a whole .4 and we also wouldn't likely be discussing this. I almost wish Russia had inquired that score anyway.

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    2. I could not see Shang's beam,but I can tell you, my friend ,that Shang's floor was underscored. Do not get me wrong, I wanted Aliya to win, but something escapes my understanding of judging. I watched Shang crying for the first time in a competition.

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    3. Shang, much like Seda, does not get a lot of height on her passes. From what I've heard this is easier to tell in person (also part of why someone like Raisman scores well, she has other issues buts gets fantastic height), and the penalties for insufficient height can add up rather quickly. Shang also tends to land a lot of things very low, which again has a big penalty - go back and pause and note how "scrunched" her landings are for lack of a better word, and especially how bent over her chest is, etc. Compare to any of the medal winners, or to her teammate Wang Yan, who does better in this regard and could very well take bronze in the floor final.

      I'll have to go watch beam more closely, but Shang's floor score isn't a surprise. She just gets slammed across the board for height and power related issues, which tend to carry bigger deductions than something like not pointing a toe or a small wobble.

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    4. There's something else that caught my attention, I remember 2008 Olympics and the amazing Chinese floor routines with beautiful choreography and the girls were clearly very skilled and graceful dancers, nowadays there are rewards for artistry and Shang is somewhat lacking, that's another point were she might have been deducted.

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    5. i dont like where artistics gymnastics is going .. american sold like the right thing to do the robotics style ... if Aliya retire is over for the rtistics part of gymnastics so sad :(

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  2. I can't find the judges assignment anywhere this Olympics, why? any help?
    John

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  3. Does anyone know why Aliya's UB D-score was 6.8 for the team preliminaries and final but a 6.6 for the AA? I'm just wondering if I missed something. I thought she got all her connections.

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    Replies
    1. She did a toe-on shaposh instead of an inbar shaposh. So she lost .1 for the element and .1 for the connection.

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  4. WOW! Sergey Starkin says in todays interview to TASS that Mustafina real coach before Rio was Grebyonkin! Evgeniy prepared her to Rio Olympics, and Sergey spend all his time with Ablezin! WOW once again! http://tass.ru/sport/3536577 P.S. Also Starkin hopes that Aliya can perform well UB today. Big part of interview is about how Mustafina was handled with the injury and what was the reason to her to coming back.

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  5. Tbh drawing to EF on UB is awful to Aliya. She even may not medal at all, coz of drawing and it will be horrible career-ending to such a Legendary gymnast! Only hope that Mustafina can handle with it .

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